The present invention relates, in general, to an apparatus for hauling cargo. More particularly, the present invention relates to a truck bed extension with extendable ramps that can be retracted and pivotally locked at different angles.
Modern pickup trucks generally include a truck bed which is approximately six to eight feet long. Although such truck bed lengths are often well suited for many hauling tasks, truck owners may sometimes be required to transport loads which, for one reason or another, do not fill the truck bed. For example, a pickup truck may be required to transport two all terrain vehicles (ATVs) at the same time. Unfortunately, ATVs are typically too wide to fit side-by-side within a truck bed and too long to be loaded one behind the other.
One solution for transporting two ATVs with a single pickup truck is to use a trailer to carry one or more of the ATVs. A trailer is commonly hitched to the back end of the truck and is pulled along by the truck. Thus, if a trailer is used, the first ATV can be loaded in the truck bed and the second ATV may be transported on the trailer bed.
A disadvantage of using a trailer to transport the second ATV is that the mobility of the truck and trailer combination is often limited. In general, a truck pulling a trailer cannot travel on rougher roads without risking damage to the trailer and truck. Also, a truck pulling a trailer must typically drive at a slower speed to maintain control of the vehicle. Moreover, conventional trailers generally take up a large amount of room, making them inconvenient to park or store.
Another way of carrying loads longer than a pickup truck""s cargo bed is to install a bed extender to the pickup truck. Bed extenders are typically mounted to a hitch receiver at the back end of a truck. They generally include a cantilevered extension rail attached to a load-bearing beam which supports loads protruding beyond the truck bed. The load-bearing beam is positioned at a distance behind the truck bed and is aligned with the height of the truck bed. The load-bearing beam thus prevents longer cargo from falling or tipping off the truck bed by providing additional load support behind the truck.
In general, however, conventional bed extenders are not well suited for transporting small vehicles such as ATVs because of the gap which exists between the load-bearing beam and the tailgate. The ATV""s tires can fall into the gap, thereby wedging the ATV between the load-bearing beam and the tailgate. To alleviate this problem, truck owners often place a bridging platform between the truck bed and the load-bearing beam to support ATV tires as they roll between the load-bearing beam and the tailgate. In addition, a separate ramp assembly is typically required to load and unload vehicles on and off the bed extender.
At times, however, unstable or weak materials, such as thin plywood boards, are used as temporary bridging platforms and ramp assemblies to roll vehicles on and off trucks equipped with a bed extender. Such a solution can be dangerous since the boards may break or slide, causing the ATV to fall from the bed extender. The falling ATV may result in property damage and potentially injure people in close proximity. What is therefore needed is a bed extender with a safe and stable bridging platform and ramp assembly to load and unload small vehicles on and off pickup truck beds.
Another drawback of using conventional bed extenders which require separate bridging platforms and ramp assemblies is that the truck owner must typically transport the bridging and ramp assemblies along with loaded ATVs. In general, cargo space is limited in truck beds and finding room for these loading structures can be very difficult. What is therefore also needed is a bed extender which incorporates a bridging platform and ramp assembly in a space saving manner.
Yet another drawback of using conventional bed extenders to transport cargo is that a trailer cannot typically be pulled by a truck once the bed extender is attached to the truck. For instance, a vacationer desiring to transport two ATVs and a boat trailer with a single pickup truck cannot do so when a bed extender is used to carry the two ATVs. As mentioned earlier, bed extenders are generally mounted to a hitch receiver at the back end of the truck. Since the bed extender occupies the truck""s hitch receiver, a trailer cannot typically be attached to the truck. Thus, conventional bed extenders generally do not allow for hitching trailers to pickup trucks. What is therefore needed is a bed extender capable of coupling to a trailer.
Briefly stated, the present invention is a bed extender for a pickup truck having a truck bed and a trailer hitch receiver. The bed extender includes an extending rail with a truck end and a free end. The extending rail is coupled to the trailer hitch receiver proximate the truck end. A support assembly is coupled to the extending rail proximate the free end of the extending rail. The support assembly also includes a rear T-shaped support member. One or more extendable or collapsible ramps are pivotally and slideably coupled to the support assembly proximate said rear T-shaped member. A locking bar engages the rear T-shaped support member and is configured to secure the extendable ramps at an angle between and including substantially horizontal and substantially vertical with respect to the truck bed.
The present invention further involves a method of loading a vehicle having wheels onto a pickup truck. The method includes moving the vehicle along a ramp onto the pickup truck. The ramp has a bottom ramp section pivotally connected to a top ramp section, and the method next comprises resting the vehicle at a position where at least one of the wheels of the vehicle is proximate a rear T-shaped member. The T-shaped member is cantilevered to the pickup truck, and the method next requires folding the ramp such that said bottom ramp section is tucked under said top ramp section. The ramp is then pivoted at the rear T-shaped member to an angle and locking at the angle.